Car-brake



M. B. MILLS.

(No Model.)

CAR BRAKE.

No. 387,434. Patented Aug. '7, 1888.

llnirnn STATES ArnNr tries.

MOR'IIMER B. MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 250.387.434, dated August7, 1888.

Application tiled April 9, 1888.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, MORTIMER B. MrLLs, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State-of Illinois,haveinvented anew and useful Improvement in Car-Brakes, of which thefollowingis a specification.

ll/Iy invention relates to an improvement in the class of car-brakesemploying means upon the car for the purpose of releasing the brakes andsetting them at will with a controllable pressure of any desired degree,and which means (involving a pulley or drum actuated at will to windupon it by the rotation of an axle of the rolling-gear a chainconnecting the brake-lever with the drum or pulley) shall be actuated toset the brakes by a continuallyincreasing pressure produced by therotation of the wheels of the car.

The object of my improvement is to provide means whereby the principleof construction above set forth shall be rendered practically operative.

In the drawings, Figure l is a bottom plan view of a railroad-carprovided with my improved brake-operating attachment; and Fig. 2, anenlarged broken longitudinal section of the car, showing my improvementin side elevation, partly broken.

The brake -lever mechanism employed is that commonly used on cars, andis clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, though I do :notherein describe it in detail, as it is old and Well known.

The brakerod A, which is connected at one end with the lever B ofthebrake-lever mech anism, has attached to its opposite end, preferablythrough an intervening stift` coiled spring, s, a chain or cable, C,which is secured at its opposite end to the grooved portion r of theperiphery ofa drum, D. The drum,which may be formed of metal or anyother suitable material, is supported adjacent` to, but out of contactwith, one ofthe axles E at one bifurcated end of a lever, F, pivotallysupported between its extremities from the bottom of the ear andconnected at its end opposite that provided with the drum with a spring,G, extending against it from the bottom of the car,(though a Weight,shown by dotted lines, might be ernployed instead) and tending to raisethe bifurca- Serial No. 270,106. (No model.)

ted end of the lever,and with it the drum. An endless band or belt, H,of about the width of the drum at the side of thelgrooved portionthereof-say six inches-and formed, preferably, of leather, though othermaterial maybe used, surrounds the drum and axle E, and is rendered tautby the pressure of the spring Gr or weight, whereby rotation of the axleturns the drum and winds upon itthe chain or cable to setthe brakes bythe resultant pull on the rod A and brake'lever mechanism with which therod is connected. The normal condition, however, of the brakes is oftand maintained so by disconnecting, practically, the drum and axle,which is effected by rendering slack the band H. This I accomplish bymeans of air-pressure mechanism, preferably such as that shown,comprising a diaphragm, I, covering a bowl-shaped air-receiver, K,secured to the bottom of the car, and communicating through a branchpipe, q, with the air-conduit p, through which the air-pressure supplyis controlled in the usual manner from the loco motive, and thediaphragm is connected with the lever F, as shown, through the medium ofa link, o. To shield the band from access to it of rain, snow, dust, andinjurious matter generally, I incase it in a suitable housing, L,secured preferably, as shown, to the truckframe carrying the axle E. Itwill thus be seen that the tendency of the spring Gr or weight is toproduce setting of the brakes by raising the end of the lever F carryingthe drum, and thereby tightening the belt or band H around the axle anddrum, which causes the rotation of the former when the car is in mo tionto turn the latter and wind up the cable or chain C. The normalcondition of the brakes, however, which is ofi, as hereinbefore stated,is maintained against the action of the spring Gr or weight byair-pressure introduced against the inner side of the diaphragm I, whichforces the end of the lever F carrying the ldrum downward suflicientl yto slacken the belt 0r band, whereby the connection between the drum andaxle is practically severed. When it is desired to set the brakes, theair or a required portion of it in the diaphragm device is allowed toescape to permit the spring G or weight to act.

The construction thus described affords a IOO brakeoperating mechanismwhich is thoroughly reliable and effective and readily controlled.

Obviously the positions of the diaphragm 5 device and spring or weightmay be interchanged, when of course their functions would be reversed,air-prcssure being then employed to set the brakes and the spring orWeight to release them, and the force or gravity of Io the spring orWeight need be only slight compared with the result they produce, astheir only function is to tighten the belt or band H suficiently toproduce the required friction against the drum and axlein theconstruction, :5 as shown, or to slacken it. If desired, the airpressure mechanism would be employed at both ends of the lever and thespring (lv or weight dispensed with.

It should be stated that when the belt or zo band His slackened, asdescribed, the brakeshoes fall from the Wheels by their own weight, andthus unwind the cable or chain from the drum.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure 25 b v Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the brakes of a ear, a lever, F, fulcrumed belowthe ear, a ro|atory drum, I), supported on the lever adjacent to andpermanently out of contact with an axle oi' the rolling-gear, andconnected by a cable or chain, O, with the brakelever mechanism, a bandor belt, H, surroumling the drum and axle, a spring, G, or Weight on thelever near one end thereof, and a collapsible receiver supported on theear and having its movable portion connected with thelevernearitsopposite end and communicating with the airpressure supply,substantially as described.

2. In combination with the brakes of a car, a lever, F, fulcrumed belowthe car, a rotatory drum, D, having a grooved portion, r, supported onthelever adjacent to and permanently out oi' contact with an axle, E, ofthe rolling-gear, and connected by a cable or chain, C, with thebrake-lever mechanism, a band or belt, II, surroumling the drum andaxle, a housing, L, for the band or belt, a spring, G, or weight on thelever near one end thereof, and a diaphragm device, I K, connected withthe lever near its opposite end and communi` cat-ing with theair-prcssure supply, substantially as described.

MORTIMER B. MILLS. In presence of- J. \V. DYRILNFORTIT, bilis. E.GAYLonn.

